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Five years ago, I finished my masters in Computer Engineering and applied to Ph.D. programs at five schools. I had a good GPA (3.9 undergrad, 4.0 graduate), work experience, college teaching experience, high general GRE scores and an acceptable subject test score (the CS test). When I was only accepted at the two lowest-ranking schools to which I applied, I was dejected. I decided to take some time off from school to work in industry, gaining experience and saving money with the intention to try again later. The time has come that in the next year or two, I would like to reapply.

I believe the reason I was rejected by the top schools is that at the time, I did not have a lot of research experience. Since then I've worked in research and development at a Fortune 1000 company, where I've been quite successful. I'm sure my managers would write me excellent recommendation letters, and there is lots I can talk about in my SOP. Nonetheless, the work I've done has all been trade secrets and nothing published or patented.

My question is this: Will my work experience in industry R&D make me competitive with others who have university research experience? What suggestions do you have for things I can do in the next two years to gain the kind of research experience admissions committees are seeking? How can a "nontraditional" student get involved in research? Since I'll be leaving my job to go to school, I want to do everything I can to increase my chances of being accepted by a good program.

I understand that requirements and expectations vary widely from one school to the next, and that's why I'm hoping to hear the thoughts and advice of the people on the forum.

Thanks!

Posted (edited)

I think I've had similar experiences as you, except mine about scholarships, not acceptance. I didn't get the scholarships I needed to attend grad school for fall 2009, so I worked (am still working) from June 2009 in a industrial R&D lab and this year I got my scholarships. I believe full time work experiences played a big role.

I think in general, work experiences show that you know what area(s) you are most interested in. I know plenty of grad students in their 30s and 40s with lots of industrial experiences in my school. From what I have seen, students with relevant industry experiences is a big plus when it comes to admission.

Like you, I do not have patents nor publications from work, but there are plenty of experiences to talk about such as contributions to relevant industrial R&D activities (solved <insert problems>, reduced cost, increased efficiency, etc.), leadership roles, and communication. I heavily emphasized relevant industrial experiences in this year's applications as that distinguished myself from most of the applicants. These are very important attributes that your transcript doesn't cover.

Best of luck.

Edited by JimWaterloo

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